The newest graduates of UNC Charlotte’s Doctorate in Business Administration program are levering their academic research to support business resilience in Charlotte.
Nineteen scholars will earn their DBA degrees in May, completing a rigorous academic program, capped by dissertations.
Below are two DBA scholars driving business, exemplifying the expertise and application that is developed in the DBA program.
Marcy Binkley, CPA, ‘21 DBA
Cybersecurity Specialist
Instructor of Accounting at Lipscomb University College of Business
For her dissertation, Marcy Binkley explored information technology governance and corporate risk disclosure in relation to cybersecurity.
With cybersecurity risk on the rise, Binkley’s research will help organizations better predict the risk of data breaches, guiding companies on how to better understand and respond to that risk. This is new and extremely valuable knowledge for companies’ IT areas, for investors and for linked organizations. It also holds implications for cybersecurity insurance. How corporations assess and respond to cybersecurity risk also sends a strong signal to investors and shareholders regarding the firm’s ability to successfully manage risk, implying financial incentive to mitigate a known risk.
“There were many interesting discoveries, but what I find most applicable to audit firms and other risk evaluating services is a demonstration of how to utilize information disclosed by an organization to interpret inherent risk,” Binkley says. “The DBA program is unique in that it provides the opportunity to learn from a wide base of scholars across a variety of disciplines. UNC Charlotte was an excellent choice for me as I wanted an interdisciplinary doctorate.”
Janice Wise ‘21 DBA
Director of Property Management, ABAC Properties, LLC
Janice Wise is using her DBA research to help others in the community by reducing barriers and creating an environment for success.
Wise’s research focuses on entrepreneurship among low-income households. Wise says many low-income households engage in informal entrepreneurship because of the low cost of entry. However, since only a portion practice in the informal sector, Wise wanted to explore why certain low-income households practice more formal activities.
After studying many factors, including family support and the level of risk taken, she discovered that social cohesion impacts the business practices among low-income entrepreneurs.
“Encouraging formal entrepreneurship not only facilitates an equal playing ground amongst business but also will lead to potential ways out of lower-income predicaments and will ultimately increase the tax-base,” she says.
Wise says she enjoyed “the privilege to associate with DBA students from different walks of life,” explaining that the diversity in the cohort provided “insight into other career paths and appreciation for differences.”
The Building Impact of the UNC Charlotte DBA
This year marks the second graduating cohort of the DBA program, which began in 2017. With each new class, the distinguishing factor of the dissertation research continues to establish the DBA as the region’s leading program for applicable insight. UNC Charlotte DBA scholars are contributing real change and new knowledge to the business community and infusing their companies with meaningful thought leadership gained through their research.
“The Belk College respects and recognizes each of these professional doctors as an expert in their area of research, and so much more,” said Dr. Franz Kellermanns, Belk College DBA academic director and Addison H. and Gertrude C. Reese Endowed Chair in International Business and Professor of Management. “The multidimensional leadership skills gained, coupled with their research perspective, allow these graduates to contribute even more to the business community.”
About AACSB Accreditation
Green and Gold Drive Business
The Belk College of Business at UNC Charlotte has been driving business for more than 50 years. Established in 1970, the college offers business education programs at the undergraduate, master’s, doctoral and executive levels. The Belk College is one of the Carolinas’ largest business schools, with more than 4,600 students, over 100 full-time faculty, and more than 33,000 alumni. Accredited by AACSB International, the college is committed to building strong partnerships in the greater Charlotte region and beyond as North Carolina's urban research business school. Learn more about how the Belk College is driving business at belkcollege.charlotte.edu, and on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.